Unexpected Duet
by Kris Jo
Summary: Kendall was just looking for a quiet place to play, but instead found an unexpected duet.


**Hey there. I got this idea while playing Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day on my guitar. Just so you know, there is no Big Time Rush in this story and it takes place at the park by my house, not Palm Woods Park.**

**I do not own Big Time Rush or Green Day's song.**

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Kendall walked down the sidewalk, his gaze looking out over the lake to his left. Some clouds insisted on hanging lower so today there was no horizon, just a blur as the water morphed into the sky. A small breeze blew from the west, blowing his blond hair away from his face. He smiled as the familiar lake smell came to him. Most people thought the lake smelled gross, but he liked the damp, sandy scent. It was comforting to him, almost as much as when he played hockey.

But he couldn't do that right now, because it was June.

He shifted his grip on the handle of the guitar case he held in his right hand. He turned his head to the right to look at the small park along the lakeside. Not the kind of park with slides and swings and merry-go-rounds. No, this park had grass, trees, and even a small waterfall from the drain pipe under the highway. The only unnatural element was the few picnic tables scattered around. Kendall liked to come here to play. It didn't take much for him to forget the world and just get lost in the beauty of nature and music.

Just as he was looking for a comfortable place to sit, he heard a familiar melody. He looked in the direction it came from and smiled at the sight.

A girl who looked about his age sat cross-legged in the shade of a tree. Her long brown hair blew across her face and she smiled as she combed it behind her ear only to have it blown free again. A gray beanie much like his sat on her head, coordinating with her blue jeans and teal shirt. Resting in her lap was a tan colored acoustic guitar that gave off a subtle shine when the sun caught it. She turned the tuning pegs quickly and when she seemed satisfied she clipped a capo onto the neck, pushing her dark glasses back up onto her face.

Kendall couldn't help but laugh when he saw her flinch when her thumb caught on the strings. Something about her piqued his interest and he decided to give her a bit of a hard time.

He walked over to the tree, casting another shadow on her. She looked up at him.

"You do know it's illegal to play for money without a permit right?" he asked. He knew she wasn't doing that because her case was closed behind her.

She just smiled. "Do you see a cup or hat or my case open with change in it? I'm allowed to play here for fun."

Kendall smiled as he looked at her guitar. She put two small angel wings stickers along the fret board and two frame stickers around the bridge. He looked back up at her green eyes and pointed to the small decorations. "Any way to make it yours huh?"

She nodded, blushing slightly, and dropped her eyes to Kendall's guitar case. "You play too?"

"Yeah. Mind if I jam with you?"

"Not at all. Pull up some grass."

He chuckled as he lowered himself onto the ground next to her. He pulled his dark guitar out of the case and set the case aside. He tuned it quickly before turning to her. "So, what were you playing before?"

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. You know it?"

"I know the song, but I don't really know how to play it. What chords are used?"

"Here." She handed him a binder. He looked at the page it was opened to, finding the lyrics of the song with the chords written above them. They were extremely simple.

He nodded. "Seems easy enough. What about the strum pattern?"

She held up her hand. "First off, you need a capo on the first fret. Makes it sound closer to the original recording. Got one of those?"

"Please, give me some credit." Kendall reached into his case and found the tool, easily clipping it onto his guitar.

She laughed at him. "Nice. Alright, the easy strum pattern is just two down strokes for each chord for the verses and four for the chorus. But I like to add a down up at the end of the chords in the verses to make it sound a little more authentic. Got all that?"

"Pretty sure I do. Shall we?" Kendall asked, fingers positioned for the first chord, E minor.

"Indeed," she replied, also positioning her fingers. "Two, three, four."

Both started playing the familiar music to the song, smiling at each other. Kendall admired how she never looked at her fingers to figure out where the next chord was. She only looked down at the strings where her pick met them, probably so she wouldn't catch her finger again. Then they both started singing, voices harmonizing perfectly.

At one point Kendall heard her play something different and was confused for a moment, but just smiled when he realized she was just playing the guitar melody. It sounded different on an acoustic guitar than it did on an electric, but he still liked the sound of it.

They were halfway through the song when Kendall looked up and realized they had drawn a small crowd around them. Everyone was smiling and swaying to the beat they were creating. He saw some of them had change in their hands, looking for some place to put it. He caught their eye and shook his head with a smile, indicating he appreciated the thought but they weren't playing for that.

He looked over at her and saw that she barely noticed the crowd. She remained so intently focused on her own guitar, completely oblivious to the people listening to her music.

They finished the song, holding out the last chord as long as the strings would allow, when she smiled at him. The people started clapping for them and she jumped, finally realizing just how many had been listening. He chuckled when he saw her face turn a deep shade of red. She laughed nervously and hung her head, trying to hide in her hair.

Once the crowd finished their applause they dispersed, leaving Kendall and the girl alone.

He turned to her. "Not used to crowds I take it?"

She shook her head. "No not really."

"How come? You say you play here all the time, haven't you drawn a crowd before?"

She laughed again, rested her pale arms along the curves of her guitar. "Usually they don't hear me. It's not by choice, I sing and play like I'm in my room, it's just the wind can pick up here and they can't hear me over that or the waves crashing over the break wall. Today's quieter and I guess you playing with me caught their attention this time."

He smiled, carefully setting his guitar to the side and moving a little closer to her. "Nothing wrong with that. You're a great player, and you have an amazing voice."

The girl blushed again, turning to put her guitar back into her own case. Kendall noticed the variety of stickers stuck to the outside, most bearing band names like: Green Day, Linkin Park, and My Chemical Romance. "Punk fan?"

"Yeah, but I listen a little bit of everything when it comes to music. Country, pop, rock, R&B, dance, punk, emo, alternative rock, Christian, maybe some mild techno. Just not rap, that's the only music I can't really stand," she said with a grimace.

He grimaced too. "Yeah not a fan of that either." He watched her snap the closures on her case shut. "Taking off?"

She smiled and stood up, case in her hand. "Yep, I've got some errands to run. I just had enough time to come here and play for a bit. Wish I could stay longer, but reality calls."

He chuckled and stood up next to her. He held out his hand. "I'm Kendall."

She gave his hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet you Kendall. Maybe I'll see you around here again sometime." She turned around and started walking off.

Kendall faltered, momentarily confused. He quickly got his bearings and called out to her, "Wait! Aren't you gonna tell me your name?"

She turned back and smiled brightly. "Find me again and I'll tell you." Then she turned and disappeared.

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**There you have it. There won't be a sequel, this was just a quick one-shot inspired by music. Plus, I really don't want to write another chapter because then it'll turn to romance.**

**I know, I'm weird. Tell me something I don't know.**

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


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